I don't like algorithms as an interview structure but I do think they have one property that people way underestimate. Algorithms test your ability to manipulat

I don't like algorithms as an interview structure but I do think they have one property that people way underestimate. Algorithms test your ability to manipulate a complex problem in your head without being able to break it down. Most coding problems can be broken apart and the individual components tackled one by one. But that has two problems. One, it doesn't stress-test the programmer. Two, the most beneficial changes to a codebase come from a high-level understanding of the system. Implementation might be segmented, but the more of the system you can simultaneously understand & manipulate in your head, the better placed you are to manipulate the architecture. Complex algo questions force you to manipulate a fundamentally complex problem. You can break it apart in some ways, but in general you have to be able to think about the entire basic algorithm in your head. Reversing a binary tree? You have to be able to visualise the datastructure you're manipulating and figure out what changes you need to make before you start writing. It's a stress test, it tests horsepower. Granted, you can game that system by doing practice questions which undermines it to an enormous degree but I'm not sure what else you can do to test that.